Memories of Us
by Zippy Zapmeister
Summary: Let's take a peek into Yoshiko's camera.


_"Ahaha...this is the most entertaining sacrifice I've ever gotten. It seems like my little demon knows just what hits the spot!"_

There are eight warmly smiling faces in the shot, belonging to the members of Aqours...save for the birthday angel herself, of course, who was expertly handling her new gift. Chika gets up from her seat and runs up to the camera, blocking the shot almost completely. _"Hey, hey, Yoshiko-chan, let me get in the picture!"_

 _"Chika-chan...I think you're the_ only _thing in the picture when you're standing right there,"_ says Riko anxiously, shoving Chika out of the shot. Her stern face fills the frame. _"Yocchan, play with the camera later. You have a lot of other presents, you know!"_

A huge sigh comes from behind the camera. _"Yes, mom. Thanks for the camera, Lily!"_

 _"I was worried you wouldn't like it...but now I don't know if you'll put it down."_

(She wouldn't.)

* * *

The shot is shaky and shifting constantly, as if someone were walking. It begins in a dim hallway, but then comes to the dark outline of a door. Yoshiko snickers behind the camera and says, _"Scare cam."_ A hand raises to the knob and turns it slowly, easing the door open. Steam billows out, but the lens remains clear enough for the viewer to see that they are now inside of a bathroom. There's a pink dress on the floor, along with a plain, white bra-and-panty set. The rushing sounds of a shower can be heard, along with the humming of an innocently unknowing Riko.

The camera zooms in a little bit, and the light pink shower curtain comes into view. A black manicured hand reaches up and yanks it aside, revealing Riko, soap-lathered and screeching in shock. The surprise must have been a bit too much; she immediately missteps, slips, and lands flat on her butt with a _thud._

 _"Ah! Lily, are you okay?!"_

 _"Yocchan! That was_ not _funny!"_

 _"I didn't think you would fall...here, let me help you."_

A clatter can be heard as the view shifts to a rather boring shot of the wall, along with a bit of the sink. Some grunts are exerted from both Yoshiko and Riko as Yoshiko helps her poor lover off of the floor of the tub. _"I'm not seriously hurt, or anything. You don't have to look that concerned..."_

 _"Haha, yeah, I-I know. Sorry, Lily...Yohane went a little too far, I guess. I feel terrible."_

 _"You 'guess'?! My butt is so sore..."_

 _"Okay, okay! I said I feel bad!"_

(She only felt bad enough to hold back her laughter.)

* * *

In the shot is a plate with a sandwich on it. In the background, a sarcastically enthused voice says, _"Here's Lily's definition of a gourmet meal. An egg salad sandwich. Yum, yum, yum."_

 _"It's not like you're going to be the one eating it! And will you turn that stupid thing off? I should've just gotten you a bracelet or something..."_

The plate is snatched from the shot, but it quickly switches to a view of Riko's irritated face as she takes a bite. The voice behind the camera has lost its sarcastic lilt. _"Where's the peppers, huh? The tomatoes, the pickles, or the blood of the gods?! Where's the flavor, Lily? Explain this to me."_

 _"It's! My! Sandwich! Where would I get the blood of the gods from, anyway?"_

 _"I'd smack it out of your hand if you didn't look so cute eating it. Like a chipmunk with bad taste."_

 _"Says the girl who puts pineapples on pizza, of all things."_ Riko looks rather triumphant.

 _"It's tasty and rejected by society. What's not to like?"_

(Yoshiko tries to take a video of Riko taking some more chipmunk-like bites to no avail.)

* * *

This one is a photograph, a still image. It pictures Riko, seated cross-legged on her and Yoshiko's bed. Only her back is visible, with the deep red of her hair contrasting against the pale blue of her nightgown. You can just barely see a bow in one of her hands, and the neck of her viola sticking out from one side of her. She has it raised, and she's playing; although her face isn't visible, her eyes are no doubt closed in a serene, focused expression.

(Yoshiko can look at it and hear the music.)

* * *

The shot starts with an infinitely boring shot of gravel, but then it shifts to an upside-down view of Riko's face. _"How do I know if it's on?"_

 _"Ugh! I might as well have asked Zuramaru to do it, for all of this,"_ Yohane grumbled. The shot shifts and turns until it's upright and showing Chika, You, and Mari all laying on their stomachs in the middle of what seems to be a street in a residential area. They're side by side, three in a row. There are ramps set up on either side of them. Anybody can look at this video and tell that things are going to go horribly wrong. _"Alright, it's recording. I'll have to trim this down later. Lily! Your cue!"_

A large, exhausted sigh comes from behind the camera as Yohane dashes off of the right side of the frame with a skateboard tucked under her arm. _"...Little demons, prepare to be amazed as the great Yohane bestows upon you a display of...uh...Yocchan, I forgot the rest, can we not do this? This is a really bad idea."_

 _"A display of spectacular proportions!"_

Mari snickers, Chika wriggles around a bit, and You sighs. At least one of them seems remorseful, but one is not enough. Riko gives in. _"...a display of spectacular proportions."_ From the right side comes the sound of wheels rolling on gravel; then, fast as a blur, Yoshiko comes into the frame. On top of the skateboard, she flies off one ramp...and then horribly lands on the other side, falling off of the board and rolling off of the frame. Mari, Chika and You immediately run over to her, but the shot changes to Riko's disgruntled face. _"And now watch as she makes a spectacular appearance at the emergency room."_

(Yoshiko frequently looks at this video and wonders if Riko thought she looked cool.)

* * *

The shot is set in a stark white room, and Yohane is sitting on a hospital bed with two metal sticks leaning against her. Her arm is in a sling and her foot is mostly out of the shot, but you can see the beginnings of a cast. Riko is in the chair next to the bed, sleeping. Someone's snickering behind the camera, but it's hard to tell who until they speak. _"So, Yoshiko-chan, wh-what's broken?"_ You can hear Mari struggling to contain her laughter.

 _"Shut up, Mari. And give me my camera back!"_

 _"What's broken?"_

 _"...My arm is messed up..."_

 _"And?"_

 _"And my foot."_

 _"And?"_

 _"That's it."_

 _"You sure?"_

 _"Yes, Mari, now leave me alone-"_

 _"Seems like your brain's pretty broken too, though."_

Unable to hold it in any longer, Chika, Mari and You burst into laughter, so much that the frame begins to shake. However, you can still see Yoshiko's angry-red face in it. Riko wakes up with all of the commotion; or, perhaps she was never really asleep at all. _"Mari,"_ she says, managing to speak over all of the laughter, _"you were out there just like she was. All four of you are grown women and should feel equally ashamed."_

 _"Hah! That's right. Tell 'em, Lily,"_ Yohane says, folding her arms behind her head. Mari turns the camera to her face and sticks her tongue out at it before turning it back.

 _"...But then again, it_ was _Yocchan's idea. So maybe she_ should _feel a little bit more stupid than the rest of you,"_ Riko says, smiling evenly.

 _"You bought the camera, Riko-chan,"_ You argues. Mari says "ooh" and whips the camera around to face You. _"And you agreed to record it! So, in the end...isn't this your fault?"_

 _"I was never in any danger. She asked me to lay on the ground and I said no, for a reason. Was it my fault? Perhaps, to an extent. But_ I _don't have a single scrape on my body."_ Footsteps are heard behind Mari; she turns around, but Riko screeches, _"Mari, turn that off! I-I'm sorry, doctor, she's not recording you, she's just immature. That's why we're here in the first place...Mari! Off!"_

(Yoshiko sees this and fondly remembers Riko helping her limp around the house.)

* * *

The shot is, at first, a very awkward, slightly-shifting view of white fabric. Then, after a bit of zooming out, you can see that it's just Riko's butt, covered by white panties and slightly obscured by her large blue t-shirt. She's bent over and rifling around in a cabinet, grumbling. _"Yocchan, come help me find the movie. I don't even know if we have it."_

 _"We do! We watched it with Dia and Kanan on our double date, remember? 'Cause Dia cried when they decapitated that guy."_

 _"Well, of course she did. When you're pregnant, you always cry about stuff like that, that's just what it does to your body. But I'm so happy for her and Kanan. That kid will be so luckyーfor the love of God, if you want to watch this DVD, come help me find it!"_

The shot zooms back in a little more, then scans Riko's legs. _"Yohane...is busy."_

 _"Then Yohane must not want to watch this movie."_

 _"It's in there! Just, uh...keep looking. The great Yohane demands it. Don't be a lazy demon..."_

Riko turns around with a glare, then blushes when she realizes what the camera is pointed at. Yoshiko snickers, but yelps when Riko dashes over and starts to fight for the camera, jumbling the shot greatly. _"That's so gross! You pervert!"_

 _"It was a joke, Lily, knock it off,"_ Yoshiko whines. _"You're gonna break it!"_

 _"Good! Come help me find this movie instead of being a weirdo!"_ The view changes to a shot of a very embarrassed Riko; the camera is turned around again and then turned off.

(Yoshiko considers this one to be her best video. Riko disagrees.)

* * *

 _"Lily's drunk,"_ Yohane sing-songs. The shot is of Riko, coming into the bedroom wearing a skewed light-pink blouse and an unzipped black skirt. She flops on the bed, laying on her stomach and sticking her tongue out.

 _"Am not,"_ Riko slurs. _"I'm just happy."_

 _"Happy? 'Bout what?"_ Yoshiko sounds greatly entertained.

 _"Mm...you. You're so sexy."_

 _"Oh, yeah. I bet you'd say that."_ Riko pouts, sitting up and taking her skirt off. _"What are you taking that off for?"_

 _"'Cause I wanna get comfy. What, are you expecting something?"_ Riko laughs, fiddling with the top button of her shirt. _"What are you trying to get me to do for this camera?"_

Yohane makes a choked sound of shock from behind the camera. _"Uh...I-I dunno,"_ she says, her voice a bit breathy. _"...What are you_ willing _to do?"_

 _"Whatever you want."_

 _"Woah...uh...wait. Give me a second to think. This is a lot of power."_

Riko gives the camera a bored glare, turning her lips down into a frown. _"Alright, just put the camera down for now, I've got an idea."_

Yoshiko complies with very little haste.

(That's the only time she'll put the camera down, after all.)

* * *

The next shotーtimestamped only a couple of minutes after the last videoーbegins with Riko between Yoshiko's legs, her lips wrapped around the black faux shaft attached to Yoshiko. Yoshiko is breathing a bit heavily behind the camera, watching as Riko innocently flicks her eyes up towards the camera. Riko takes it all the way into the back of her throat before coming off and smiling devilishly. _"You want to see me ride it, right?"_

 _"Fuck...Lily, please,"_ Yoshiko groans.

Riko pulls away completely and straddles the toy, placing it to her entrance. Then, with a soft, drawn-out moan, she lowers herself onto it, placing her hands on Yoshiko's chest to brace herself. _"That's so good...you feel so good,"_ she whimpers. She wastes no time working up to a frantic pace, bouncing up and down rapidly. One of Yoshiko's hands comes from off of the frame to reach up and grab Riko's breast, pinching her nipple as she continues to rut against the cock desperately. _"More. More."_

Yoshiko's breath became more labored, and Riko reaches a hand down to circle her own clit rapidly. Her eyes are shut tight, her lip caught between her teeth. _"Look at me, Lily,"_ Yoshiko says, her voice a purr behind the camera. _"Come on...you've got it. Just look at me."_

Riko pries her eyes open, revealing her golden irises to the camera, half-lidded and lusty. _"I love you, Yocchan. I love you so much, you feel so good,"_ she pants. If you looked closely, you could see the hint of a smile on her face, but it's quickly overtaken by a blissful expression as she stills, tilting her head back. All you can hear from her are wispy little gasps for air, and she eventually relaxes, falling forward. All that's in the frame is the television and the foot of the bed, but off-screen, Riko whispers, _"Turn that stupid thing off so I can return the favor."_

(Sometimes Yoshiko looks at that video and burns the memory of it into her brain once again just in case; she's so scared that she'll forget the sound of Riko saying she loves her.)

* * *

This one is also a photograph, but Riko's face is visible. The pattern of the blinds creates golden stripes over her sleeping face; her nose remains in the dark, but her pink, parted lips are bathed in sunlight. She's on her back, and the picture is taken as if someone is straddling her. One arm is lazily draped across her upper chest, and the other is above her head. In the bottom of the frame, you can see the swell of her breast beneath her arm. Something about the picture screams cozy Saturday afternoons spent in bed.

(Yoshiko tries to get a picture where she's giving Riko a kiss on the cheek, but Riko is a light sleeper and prefers her kisses to be given when she's awake.)

* * *

In the frame is Mari, in a pale blue room, sitting in a chair with a bundle of blankets in her arms. There's a soft beeping noise in the background, along with hushed whispers; from the bundle of blankets, there's a soft coo, and a hand reaches up. _"Aw, don't worry, Shiro-kun,"_ Mari says, rocking the swaddle slowly. _"Aunt Mari's here."_

 _"The idea of Mari being in charge of a child is somehow the most terrifying concept on Earth,"_ Riko mumbles. Yoshiko chuckles behind the camera.

 _"Having a child_ period _is the most terrifying concept on Earth,"_ Kanan corrects. _"Especially since he's so...small. It's like he's not even a full human yet."_

Shiro coos again, still wriggling his hands. _"I'm surprised by how well he takes to you, Mari-san,"_ Dia says, off of the frame and quite obviously tired.

 _"Oh...he screamed when I held him,"_ Ruby says.

 _"He screamed when I just looked at him! Such a picky little demon,"_ Yohane sighs. She turns the camera to Dia, who scowls. _"Ah...I've not seen such perseverance since the gods took up their quest to banish me from the heavens...what a miraculous display."_

Dia sighs, then gives a soft, slightly weak laugh. Her hair was a bit out of place, and she was flushed, but she looked content. _"Thank you, Yoshiko-san. That...means a lot. Whatever it means..."_

Yoshiko turns the camera back to Mari, who whines, _"Oh, man, this is addictive. Kanan-chan, you and Dia have got to have more. I'm in love!"_

 _"More?! No!"_ Kanan screeches. Shiro wriggles, and Kanan squeaks with guilt. _"S-sorry, Shiro-kun..."_

Chika pipes up, _"Yeah, Mari-chan's right! And you should carry the next one, too, Kanan-chan!"_

 _"I...am_ not _doing that. I appreciate Dia wholeheartedly for the gift she's given me, but it looks painful."_ Yoshiko turns the camera to Kanan to catch the sight of her flushed face. Kanan pouts, covers her face with her hand, and says, _"Jeez, Yoshiko-chan, you said you wanted to hold him, right? Put down that dumb camera already."_

 _"Yocchan, you haven't held him?"_ Riko's tone is rather accusatory. Yoshiko instinctively turns the camera to her when she speaks.

 _"W-well, I wanted to let Y-You and Zuramaru hold him f-first, but since they couldn't make it today, I'll, uh, wait. Y-Yohane is really generous, you know!"_

 _"He's not going to bite you, Yoshiko-san,"_ Dia says, her voice slightly teasing.

With a huff, Yoshiko hands the camera to Riko, and the frame shifts around the room until it lands on Yoshiko. From off the frame, Mari gently hands her Shiro, who was still cooing softly in his blankets. _"Why's he so warm...? Is that normal?"_

From behind the camera, Riko slowly informs, _"He's a human being, Yoshiko...human beings generate body heat..."_

 _"I was just making sure he didn't have a fever or something!"_ Yoshiko looks down at Shiro, her face flushed. _"H-hello, little demon...you're...ugh..."_ She flicks her eyes up at the camera. _"Okay, uh, turn that off. I'm getting nervous."_

 _"Yoshiko-chan, you're such a loser,"_ Mari taunts. _"What are you so afraid of?"_

 _"T-turn the camera off, Lily! This is private angel business! And all of you cover your ears and eyes, don't look at me!"_

 _"Oh, fine, Yocchan, have it your way."_ Before the video ends, Riko leans in over Shiro and catches a shot of his chubby face and says, _"Sorry your aunt's a weirdo."_

(Yoshiko had never felt such warmth from someone other than Riko. She was surprised by how nice it was.)

* * *

In the frame is a sideways view of Riko, where she's facing forward. Her eyes look tired, and she's nodding off, but the lights are still on. _"Kanan-chan told me she'd text me when Dia-chan and Shiro-kun went to sleep...she probably fell asleep herself. Y'think?"_

Riko turns to face Yoshiko, only to be greeted by the camera. She frowns, but Yohane just asks, _"Hey, Lily, do you think I'd make a good mom? Choose your answer carefully."_

 _"Wh-what?! Why are you asking me something like that?!"_

 _"I dunno! When a close friend has a baby, it-it's hard not to think about it!"_

Riko looks away from the camera, cupping her chin in thought. Just as Yoshiko sighs impatiently behind the camera, she looks back and nods once, firmly. _"Yes. You would."_

 _"Ugh...you sure did a lot of thinking."_

 _"You said to choose my answer carefully. But if you really want an explanation...well, you can love. And you care. You love harder than anybody else, and even if you try to make it_ seem _like you don't, you care more than anybody else, too. There's more to being a parent than that, but...that's where it starts."_

 _"So, to be a good parent, I have to be a good lover? Because that sounds like qualities you look for in a lover!"_

 _"That's the qualities you look for in any kind of relationship, isn't it?"_ Riko buries her face in her hands, sighing heavily. Then she looks back at the camera and smiles tiredly. _"Oh, well. I stand by my answer."_

Yoshiko mumbles something unintelligible, shifting the camera. Then, she softly says, _"I think you'd make a great mother, too, Lily."_

(Yoshiko sees this video as a silent promise.)

* * *

At first, all you can see is Yoshiko's feet tiptoeing through the hallway. You can faintly hear music coming from somewhere off-frame, but there's no telling what it is. As Yoshiko keeps walking and the kitchen comes into view, the music gets louder, and it becomes clear that it's _Storm in Lover,_ a personal favorite of one Kurosawa Dia.

Surprisingly, though, when a person comes into the frame, it isn't Dia at all. Instead, it is Riko, shaking her hips to the fiery salsa tune and flipping pancakes in her underwear. She's singing along, too, and she knows every word. After the song ends, Yoshiko slaps her hand on one side of the camera several times as a makeshift clap. Riko turns around, eyes as wide as the pancakes she was flipping. _"Bravo, Lily. Dia would probably_ love _to see this!"_

 _"Yocchan, you wouldn't! Delete that, okay?! Delete it before I delete it myself!"_ The way Riko waves the spatula is more than a little bit threatening, so Yoshiko turns the camera off, but no kitchen utensil on Earth could make her delete that video.

(Yoshiko would be lying if she said the video didn't turn her on a little.)

* * *

The video, and numerous similar ones before it, contains a view of a chair by a table, along with the front door of Yoshiko and Riko's apartment. Somewhere off-screen, some rather romantic smooth jazz is playing. The contents are virtually the same for each take: Yoshiko walks over to the chair, and with one swift motion, kneels and pulls out a small, cubed box, flipping it open. A lot of the videos show her tripping or dropping the box, or just cursing under her breath when she messes up her speech. In this one, she grumbles, _"Take one-fucking-million. I'm going to lose my mind if I don't get this right...ugh, and Lily should be home from work soon...alright. Showtime. This footage better be perfect when I run it back."_ She sets the camera down on the back of the couch, then walked over to the front door and makes a gesture towards the chair. _"Good evening, little demon. Have a seat. You must be tired after working so hard. Hey, do you like this music? Allow me to turn it up for you, then. Rather relaxing, if I may say so myself."_ Yoshiko walks off of the frame, and the music gets louder.

Yoshiko paces around the room, arms folded behind her back. _"Don't you love this, Lily? The warmth of the home we've made together...the warmth of each other. Don't you love...the love? I ask myself that a lot. I know you enjoy being with me. But I sometimes wonder if you feel this love at the same magnitude that I do. My love for you is strong enough to storm the heavens, Lily, and devour the gods! Can you say the same about me?"_ Yoshiko continues to conjure up some more metaphors, speaking over the cheesy music coming from the stereo. In fact, her own voice and the music are so loud that she doesn't even hear the door opening behind her, her eyes glued to the chair as if Riko herself were in it.

Instead, Riko is behind her, shutting the door silently and leaning against it.

 _"...and I know you're probably getting tired of me talking about this so much. But I really have to make you understand, Lily...R-Riko."_ Yoshiko takes a deep breath, then walks over to the chair and kneels, finally perfecting that box-opening motion. _"I love you more than anything, and I can't imagine a life without you. I can only hope that you love me the same way, and that you'll...m-marry me. Oh, fuck. I stuttered. Damn it-"_

Riko lets out a little cry of surprise, covering her hand with her mouth as Yoshiko jumps up and turns around, dropping the ring case. The ring pops right out of it, sliding across the hardwood floor. _"Yocchan, did you mean that? That wasn't a joke, or-or-"_

 _"Wait! Lily, no, you weren't supposed to see that,"_ Yoshiko says, flustered. She kneels and picks up the ring case, but Riko picks up the ring before she can. _"Ah, w-wait, please. Take a seat. You must be tired after-"_

 _"Have you...have you been rehearsing this?"_

 _"No! I mean, r-rehearsing what?! Give me that,"_ Yoshiko says, stepping forward and frantically trying to take the ring back.

 _"No way! I want it."_ Riko slides it on her finger, and Yoshiko releases a groan of pain, as if she had been punched in the gut.

 _"Not yet! Y-you already know what's going to happen, so let me do it right!"_

 _"Who cares?!"_

 _"Me!"_

 _"Well, I don't."_

 _"This marriage isn't going to work out if you keep doing stuff like this..."_ They both pause at that word. "Marriage". It hung heavy in the room, making them both realize the implications of the situation. Riko let out another whine and then collapsed into tears, burying her face in her hands. _"H-hey! Don't cry, Lily! We don't have to get married if you don't want to..."_

Riko tears her hands away from her face and laughs. _"Of course I want to, I-I'm just happy. Oh, Yocchan I-I'm so happy."_ Riko steps forward into Yoshiko's arms, and they embrace, right there in the middle of the foyer. As Riko cries into Yoshiko's shoulder, Yoshiko turns to the camera and gave it a lazy grin and a thumbs up.

(Yoshiko thinks the whole thing could have used a lot more explosions, and perhaps a serenade. Riko thinks it went just fine.)


End file.
